Boks brace for big onslaught

COACH: DIFFICULT TO KEEP DEFENDING

– The Springboks will have to brace themselves for a Pumas team breathing fire next weekend, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has predicted, in their return Rugby Championship clash in Mendoza.

After their 34-21 win at King’s Park on Saturday, the Boks are expecting a big backlash, but Erasmus confirmed they were likely to make a number of changes to counter the onslaught from their Argentine opponents.

“I just know the Pumas will be fuming to get us back there, and it’s going to be a helluva battle,” Erasmus said.

“You can ask anybody who played there before how tough it is, but we’ll make a few changes, maybe four or five.

“It will be a massive physical onslaught from their side, but as desperate as they are to turn it around, we will be just as desperate to get the win there.”

Captain Siya Kolisi admitted the Boks did not start the way they wanted in their Championship opener, lamenting their poor discipline and execution.

“We had some opportunities in the 22 which went begging,” Kolisi said.

“This week the most important thing is recovery and to make sure we are ready for next weekend.”

With just 26 863 people braving the cold conditions, wings Aphiwe Dyantyi and Makazole Mapimpi stole the limelight by scoring four of the six Bok tries.

Erasmus, however, was not smiling too broadly over the win.

“The only really good part was 25-30 minutes in the second half. That was the only really decent rugby we played,” the coach added.

With Francois Louw and Faf de Klerk having only a pre-season to prepare, Damian Willemse coming back from a six-week knee injury, and Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe and Malcolm Marx all making recent returns, he had expected a “less fluent” display.

Meanwhile, Erasmus named a squad of 28 players for their trip to Argentina on Saturday.

Durban

Nobody in world rugby is as physical as the Springboks, Argentina coach Mario Ledesma (pictured) believes, after his team were handed a 34-21 Rugby Championship defeat at King’s Park on Saturday.

Scoring six tries to three, the Boks overturned a 14-10 half-time deficit to take the game away from the Pumas in the second half.

“They are one of the best teams in the world and they are the most physical team in the world, by far, but we knew what was coming,” Ledesma said.

“We knew they were targeting us in the rucks. They were playing (Siya) Kolisi and (Malcolm) Marx who are really world-class on their own ball, but we couldn’t handle some of that stuff.”

Ledesma said it was difficult to discuss how important it was to be Pumas coach when they had just lost and did not play very well.

“I didn’t count their tries. I stopped counting,” he said.

“The Boks had the momentum and much more quality ball from set-pieces, but it’s difficult against a team like SA to keep defending.

“With 15 minutes left and just down by 27-21 we could have won it, but we kept losing ball and lineouts and rucks.”

At the start of the second half, Ledesma said the Boks started playing quick penalties, quick taps and kept playing direct.

“It’s like a dam. When you keep hammering, all of a sudden the water breaks,” he said.

“We got frustrated because we were starved of quality ball, but we turned it around in the second half and that’s what I hope will happen this weekend. We will work on our set-pieces and rucks.”

Faced with a lack of territory and possession, Pumas captain Agustin Creevy admitted they were fighting a losing battle.

“The Boks capitalised on every opportunity they had and it is really difficult to defend the whole game without quality ball in hand to create something,” the skipper said.

“We simply need to be better this weekend.”